The Rappahannock Review takes its name from the Rappahannock River, which runs from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay. A young George Washington grew up on the banks of the river and famously threw a rock across its expanse. Abraham Lincoln crossed it in 1862 in order to view the occupied city Fredericksburg, which changed hands eight times during the Civil War. About the same time, fugitive slaves risked its waters to flee north to freedom.

Now, the University of Mary Washington, founded in 1908 and named after the mother of the nation’s first president, stands on Marye’s Heights overlooking the river. From our vantage point we hope once again to make history by publishing the best work from seasoned and emerging writers throughout the nation. Send us your work. Be a part of history.